Sweeper for railroad-tracks.



W. S. ADAMS.

swEEPERfoR RAlLaoAp rRAcKs. APPLICATION FILED AUG.26. i913.

LWLM. Patend Nov. 23, 1915.

4 SHEETS-'SHEET l. 1 7%" l i W. S. ADAMS. swEEPeRKFoR RAILROAD TRACKS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.26. 1913. LLYQ, PatentedNo'v. 23, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

w. s. ADAMS'.

SWEEPER FOR RAILROAD TRAKS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.26. 1913.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

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W. S. ADAMS. SWEEPER FOR RAILROAD TRACKS.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.26. |913. A LALM. Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

E I a 'me @Maine rnrnnr cierren WALTER S. ADAMS, F PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE J'. G. BRILL C0., OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SWEEPER FOR RAILROAD-TRACKS.

Specification of Letters Patenti 4 Fatemtedl-NOV. 1915..

Application led August 26, 1913. Serial No. 786,661.

To all whom it may concern l -Be it known that I, WALTER S. ADAMS, acitizen of the United States,'and a resident of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have made a new and usefulImprovement in Sweepers for Railroad- Tracks, of which the following isa specification.

The obj ect of my invention is to provide a suitable device which willpositively 'drive the broom so as to properly sweep the space adjacentto and over the tracks at any desired level and to provide a suitablemechanism for raising and lowering the brooms as the eXigencies ofsweeping may require.

vThis object is accomplished by my invention, one embodiment ofv whichis hereinafter set forth.

For a more particular description of my v invention, reference is to behad to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a'part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view with parts removed, of a portion of my improvedy '25 sweeper; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig.1, looking in the direction ofthe arrows; Fig. 3v is an end view of abrush and a portion of the supporting mechanism; Fig. 4 is a sectionalview taken on` the line 4.-'-4 of Fig.v 1, looking in the direction ofthe arrows; Fig. 5 is a plan view of 'a portion of the frame, a part ofthe iioor of my improved` sweeper and a part of the mechanism beingshown; Figs. 6 and 7 show the sweeper supporting mechanism and partsconnected therewith, Fig. 7 being taken at right angle'to the structureshown in Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 ofFig. 1.

Throughout the various views of the drawings, similar referencecharacters designate similar parts. f

A sweeper provlded with my improvement f is provided with any suitablerunnlng gear, not shown, which carries` a frame 1 of the conventionalkind. This frame 1 has longitudinal sills 2 and 3, an end sill 4 andsuitable crossings 45 together with short longitudinal bars 7 and 8which are placed so as .to

` support parts ofthe mechanism described below. y

The frame 1 carries a suitable iioor 9 with parts raised above the motorand superstructure 10, which may be of any desired form.

Two of the 'crossings 5 are connected by suitable longitudinal bars 1l.and12, and

the lower edges ofthese bars are connected by suitable crossbars 13 and14;, which support bearings 15 and 16 in which is journaled 'the mainshaft 17 of the machine, so that this shaft is carried in the frame 1 ofthe machine. This shaft 17 is connectedby suitable clutches 18 and 19with the secondary shafts 20 and 21 respectively. These shafts 20 and 21are in alincment with the shaft 17 and are mounted in suitable bearings22 carried by and against the crossings 5.

The clutch 18 is `actuated by the handle 23 which is connected by anysuitable means to the movable member of this clutch, and in the samemanner the clutch 19 is actuated by the handle 24. vBy shifting therespective handles, the shafts 20 and 21 may be connected ordisconnected from the shaft 17, as desired. The shaft 17 is driven by asuitable motor 25 mounted on this shaft in the same manner as the streetrailroad motor is ordinarily mounted on the axle of a truck. One end ofthis motor 25 is supported by the shaft `17 on which it is sleeved andthe other end is spring supported at 26 by means of a suitable bar 27which runs from the motor, and to which it is secured. This motor isconnected in the usual manner to a suitable controller and otherinstruments, so

that it may be rotated and be controlled by suitable shaft 30 in such away that this gear 29 will always rotate about the axis of this shaftand drive the same. Thi-s shaft may be given any suitable shapeconsistent with its` functions, as non-circular in cross section, orcircular with a key and slot con- I nection. The gear 29 has a suitablebushing 31 mounted thereon, which bushing revolves in a suitable bracket32, `so that this bracket performs the double purpose of being a supportand bearing both for the gear 2Q and the shaft 30. The bracket 32 issecured to the bars 7 and 8. in any suitable manner.

The lower end of the shaft 30 is provided lform and have conventionalmounting, it is not necessary to describe them 1n detail. It 1ssuliicient to say that there are two of them and that they arefrxed onthe shaft 37 so as to'revolve with the same and that this shaft 37 isdriven by means of a suitable bevel gear 39 which meshes with the gear33.

Each of the ends of the shafts 3 7 is suitably journaled in a bearing 40which has a vertical movement on suitable brackets or guides 41.01n 42.These brackets are se` cured to the frame 1 of the machine in anydesired manner. Each of them has a ver- .tical bar corresponding to thevertical bar of 'the bracket 36 and parallel therewith, so

that the bearings 40 and the bearing 35 will always move parallel toeach other. The means for raising and lowering the bearings 40 and theshaft connected thereto will -now be described.

Each of the bearings 40 has an upwardly extending pair of ears 43 whichare provided with a suitable pin, and the pin of each bearing engagesthe lower end of a suitable link 44 which at its upper ends articulateswith' a lever 45 in the usual manner. Each lever 45 near the bracket 41runs to a suit-v able shat 46 journaled in suitable bearings 47,Whichare secured on the upper side of the frame 1 of the car.

Near the bracket`42 is a third lever 43, the free end of which isbifurcated and provided with a bearing 49 to receive lugs 50 and a nut51 mounted on a vertical screw shaft 52 which is journaled in suitablebrackets 53 and 54, both of which are secured to the frame 1 and thefloor and the upper end of the shaft 52 is provided with a suitable handwheel or any other suitable means by which the shaft may be turnedin'either direction. By turning this shaft in one direction the lever 49is lowered and by turning it in the other direction, thc

lever is elevated, by the weight of the shaft 37 and the parts carriedthereby or mounted thereon, so that by turning this wheel 55 in one wayor the other, the brushes may be raised or lowered, as the exigencies ofsweeping` may require. 4

In view ot' the foregoing, the operation of'my improved sweeper will bereadily understood. rl`he brushes are caused to rotate, preferably 'onepair at a time, and preferably the ypair at the front of the machine, byarticulating one or the other through the clutches 13 or 19, to theshaft 17. Both ot' the brushes are capable of being raised or 'loweredidle or running, it makes no dit'- ference which, they may be raised orlo\vered, by turning the wheel as above described, whereby they may bekept at any desired position for the purpose of sweeping the tracks, orcleaning the tracks when out of use. It will be noted that whetherraised or lowered, they are raised or lowered in a vertical plane andthat they are positively vdriven by gears at all times, in any position,

when the clutches are thrown to produce this result.

While l have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, itis obvious that Vit is not restricted thereto, but is broad enough tocover all structures that come within the scope of the annexed claim,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In a machine of the class described, a

`frame, ashaft journaled in said frame with its axis lyinglongitudinally of the car, said shaft being divided into three parts,the center being connected with the motor, clutches connecting thecenter part with the other parts, a motor attached to said center part,brushes and means for mounting the same from said frame so that thebrushes may be raised or lowered in vertical planes, and gearsand avertical shaft connecting one brush with each end shaft, so that-whenthe device is in use, either brush may be driven by said motor at anyplace of its elevation.

Signed at the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and Stateot' lelnisvlvania, this 15th day of August, 1913.

lVitnesses HENRY C. llsLiNc, H. l?. McKnJarr.

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